Snap fasteners



March 5, 1963 PL B. JENSEN ETAL 3,079,659

SNAP FASTENERS Filed Feb. 6, 1961 INVENTOR Philip B. Jensen John H-Humlsl'on 3,079,659 SNAP FASTENERS Philip B. Jensen, Naugatuclr, and.lohn H. Humistou, Watertown, Conn., assignors to Scovill ManufacturingCompany, Waterbury, Conn., a corporation of Connecticut Filed Feb. 6,1961, Ser. No. 87,167 3 Claims. (Cl. 24216) This invention relates tosnap fasteners and more particularly to -an improved socket member forsnap fasteners.

One of the objects of this invention is to provide an improved simpletwo-piece socket structure that will be relatively thinl in overallheight and be particularly adapted for use on leather goods or sheetplastic material such as currently used for pocket-books, bill folds,pass cases and the like.

Another object is to provide an improved two-piece socket structureconsisting of a socket member adapted to be positioned against one sideof a support piece and a clincher cap adapted yto -be positioned againstthe opposite side of said support piece, and wherein the socket memberis provided with a series of attaching prongs which are adapted topierce through the support piece during the fastener setting operationand be permanently clinched within the clincher cap.

A further object is to provide an improved socket member of the abovecharacter in which the clincher cap is provided with a central Opening,the edge of which is positioned to protect the spring lingers of thesocket member. Also, the clincher cap is dished inwardly to assist inguiding the head of the stud member into the socket member coincidentwith the snap fastener attachment.

The foregoing and other objects, as Well as various features of theinvention may be fuliy understood from a consideration of the followingdescription in the iight of the accompanying drawing, in which:

FIG. l is a cross-sectional view through the socket member and attachingclincher cap disassembled and showing a support piece in positionbetween the two;

FIG. 2 is a similar view showing the prongs pierced through the supportpiece and ready to be clinched in the clincher cap;

FIG. 3 is a similar view showing the socket member and clincher cap incompietely assembled position;

FIG. 4 is a plan View of the same; and,

FIG. 5 is an upper plan View of the socket member, per se.

Referring to the drawin the socket structure consists of a socket member19 disposed on one side of a flexible Support or carrying medium 11 anda clincher cap 12 disposed on the opposite side of said medium. Sincethis socket structure is designed principally for leather goods or thelike, it is necessary that the support medium be provided with a piercedopening 13.

The socket member 19 consists of a circular base 14 and a series ofspring or resilient fingers 15 extending vertically upwardly from saidbase and terminating in inwardly directed lips or beads 16 adapted tosnap over the bulbous head 17 of a stud member 18, such as shown inphantom in FIG. 3. in order to lessen the overall height of Ithefinished socket structure, the lingers 15 are joined to the base 14 by adownwardly offset annular section 19 immediately surrounding saidlingers. The oset annu lar section 19 is of suicient depth to disposethe upper beaded ends of the fingers i5 on a plane substantially commonwith the upper circumferential edge of the base -1-4.

The socket member 16 is provided with -a series of attaching prongs 2t)that are sheared and formed upwardly out of the body of the base 14. Theprongs 2t? are 3,679,659 liatented Mar. 5, 1963 adapted to piercethrough the support medium 11 and be clinched over by the clincher cap12. The clincher cap 1,2 in its :initial stateV isbest shown in FIGS. 1and 2 and consists of an inwardly dished portion 21 having a centralopening 22 therein. The opening 22 is of a diameter slightly larger thanthe diameter of the circular series of the socket spring fingers 15 andis aligned therewith. A circumferential rim 23 of arcuate shapevincross-section is connected to the dished portion 21 and supports a ange24 in spaced relation to said dished portion, thus providing a biasedannular channel 25 therebetween into which the prongs 20 of the socketmember are adapted to be initially received during the socket settingoperation.

In assembling the socket structure, the socket member V1l-and clinchercap 12 will be disposed on opposite sides of the support medium 11 inproper alignment with each other and with `the prepierced opening 13 asshown in FIGA. As the socket member 10 and clincher cap l12 are forcedtogether, the prongs 20 will pierce through the support medium 11 andabut against the underside of the dished portion 21 which functions asan anvil to deect the prongs outwardly into the channel 25.

Continued movement of the socket member and clincher cap toward eachother by the appropriate setting tools will cause the channel 25 toclose up and firmly grip the prongs 29 between the dished portion 21 andflange 24, thus permanently interlocking the socket member and clinchercap together on opposite sides of the supporting medium as shown in FIG.3.

In the final setting operation, it will be noted that the shape of thedished portion 21 has been changed from its initial state to a curvatureof larger and uniform radius that will then lower the overall height ofthe clincher cap and also serve to guide the stud member 13 into thesocket opening in case said stud is not properly aligned for thefastener assembly. Also, after the iinal socket assembly, the dishedportion of the -clincher cap, immediately surrounding the opening 22,will be disposed slightly above the spring fingers as a means forprotecting said fingers from injury.

It is to be understood that the dished portion 21 of the clincher cap isinitially shaped with a sufficient curvature so that the undersurfacethereof will act as a suitable anvil to deiiect the leading ends of thesocket member prongs 20 outwardly into the channel 25 for the finalclinching operation without danger of the prongs piercing through orotherwise distorting said dished portion.

One form of the invention is presented herein for the purpose ofexemplication, but it is to be understood that the invention issusceptible of other structural modifications coming equally within thescope of the appended claims.

What we claim is:

1. A snap fastener socket assembly adapted for installation upon aexible support piece having a pierced opening therethrough and includingin combination a socket member comprising a circular base, a circularseries of upwardly extending resilient lingers terminating in inwardlydirected stud-engaging beads, said fingers being joined to said base bya downwardly offset annular section immediately surrounding saidfingers, and a series of prongs sheared from and formed upwardly of thebody of said base and adapted to pierce through said support piecearound said pierced opening and to position the socket base against oneside of said support piece, and an attaching anvil cap disposed againstthe opposite side of said support piece, said cap having a centralopening -aligned with said series of resilient fingers, a dished portionextending upwardly and outwardly from said opening and overlying saidprongs, and a clincher tiange folded inwardly from the rim of saiddished portion to clamp said prongs against the undersurface of saiddished portion.

2. A snap fastener socket assembly as del-ined in claim 1 wherein thestud-engaging beads of the spring fingers are disposed slightly belowthe upper surface of said dished `portion irnrne'zdi'ately surrounding Isaid central opening. r A

3. A snap fastener socket assembly adapted for installation kupon aileXible `supportmedium including in coin- `bination a socketmember'comprisng a circular base, a cir-cular series'rof resilientupwarldy extending lingers terminating in inwardlydirected'stud-engaging beads, said -iingers lbeing joined to said baseby -a`downwardly offset annular section immediately surrounding'said'ngers, and

`aseries of prongs 'sheared from. and formed upwardly of vthe bodyofsaid `base Vand adapted'to pierce through vsaid "supportniediuinandYposi-tion Athe socket baise against one side'of said supportniediurn,'and attaching'anvil cap disposed vagainst the oppositesideof'said support medium,

said cap havingV central opening aligned with s'aid-l series 'ofresilient lingers, a'dishedportion extending upwardly and outwardly andoverlyingsaid'prongs, said dished porsetting operation andato Ydeformthe dished portion so Ithat its `rim and clincher flange and theYinterposed prongs 10 will lie in close proximity to the 'supportmediumReferences Cit'eiin the tile of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTSv383,073 Richardson Moy 15, 1888 2,371,813 Fenton Mar. 20, 19452,585,897 Johnson Foo. y12, 1952 2,624,090 -Jonos Jon. 6, 1953 REIGNPATENTS 1,124,889 Francesret--sommets-July 2, 1956

1. A SNAP FASTENER SOCKET ASSEMBLY ADAPTED FOR INSTALLATION UPON AFLEXIBLE SUPPORT PIECE HAVING A PIERCED OPENING THERETHROUGH ANDINCLUDING IN COMBINATION A SOCKET MEMBER COMPRISING A CIRCULAR BASE, ACIRCULAR SERIES OF UPWARDLY EXTENDING RESILIENT FINGERS TERMINATING ININWARDLY DIRECTED STUD-ENGAGING BEADS, SAID FINGERS BEING JOINED TO SAIDBASE BY A DOWNWARDLY OFFSET ANNULAR SECTION IMMEDIATELY SURROUNDING SAIDFINGERS, AND A SERIES OF PRONGS SHEARED FROM AND FORMED UPWARDLY OF THEBODY OF SAID BASE AND ADAPTED TO PIERCE THROUGH SAID SUPPORT PIECEAROUND SAID PIERCED OPENING AND TO POSITION THE SOCKET BASE AGAINST ONESIDE OF SAID SUPPORT PIECE, AND AN ATTACHING ANVIL CAP DISPOSED AGAINSTTHE OPPOSITE SIDE OF SAID SUPPORT PIECE, SAID CAP HAVING A CENTRALOPENING ALIGNED WITH SAID SERIES OF RESILIENT FINGERS, A DISHED PORTIONEXTENDING UPWARDLY AND OUTWARDLY FROM SAID OPENING AND OVERLYING SAIDPRONGS, AND A CLINCHER FLANGE FOLDED INWARDLY FROM THE RIM OF SAIDDISHED PORTION TO CLAMP SAID PRONGS AGAINST THE UNDERSURFACE OF SAIDDISHED PORTION.